From food for medics to rooms for stranded tourists, the group’s chain of hotels is helping out in a variety of ways

It’s more than one good deed a day for the ITC Group, which is doing its bit to help those struggling during the coronavirus lockdown. The group, which owns the ITC chain of hotels as well as several FMCG brands, has set up a Rs150-crore Covid Contingency Fund. They have also committed Rs100 crore towards the PM Cares Fund, set up recently to deal with contingencies like the coronavirus.Apart from donations, ITC is also working closely with district administrations across 17 states in the country to provide food and essentials for people. And there’s more…

Distributing food supplies

ITC Foods is sending food supplies across the country through its ‘Aashirvaad Box of Hope’ and ‘Sunfeast Box of Happiness’ initiative. ITC has joined hands with NGOs to deliver essential food supplies to those severely impacted by the lockdown. ITC’s Foods Division has helped the residents of Bhilwara district in Rajasthan by distributing 10kgs of Aashirvaad atta.

ITC Maurya and Sheraton in New Delhi have been distributing over 1,500 meals every day for migrant workers. ITC Gardenia in Bengaluru is providing 1,000 food packets daily for fifteen days to the Municipal Corporation. Fortune Hotel in Lucknow is also providing 1,000 meals a day to the underprivileged. ITC’s Paperboards Business has been distributing over 1,400 meals to migrant labourers around the factory in Bhadrachalam. ITC factories in Saharanpur, UP as well as ITC teams in Patna have been providing more than 3,500 cooked meals per day in nearby areas.

Sending protective gear and food to hospitals

ITC Grand Central in Mumbai has made arrangements to deliver meals to doctors in MG Hospital and Kasturba Hospital.ITC Hotel properties in Jaipur and Goa are providing shower caps and sanitisers for doctors and healthcare workers.

In Bhadrachalam, ITC’s Paper and Paperboards Division distributed masks and hand gloves to truck drivers and sanitisers to public health workers in Secunderabad. They have also disinfected 18 villages around the Bhadrachalam factory and ITC’s Well Being out of Waste Teams conducted awareness programmes in 16 districts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Looking out for stranded tourists—and those who need to be isolated

ITC Maratha was identified as one of the quarantine spaces by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. ITC Hotels is also working closely with local administration and embassies to provide spaces at ITC Grand Chola, Chennai and ITC Kohenur, Hyderabad for international travellers to stopover when required.

Taking care of their staff

To ensure the wellbeing of their employees, ITC Hotels has leveraged its association with 1to1Help, an organisation which offers Employee Assistance Programs. ITC Hotel employees can use the service to get access to counsellors in case they are dealing with anxiety, stress or isolation.

Finally, some recipes to add to your Instagram feed

On Instagram, ITC Hotels is running a series of easy-to-make recipes and guidelines to add value to your cooking at home. From how to maintain kitchen hygiene to a recipe for some great khichdi, follow their #FoodForThought series.